Okay, I want to play a game where characters are all up to something, trying to become a ruler, vengeance, treasure, something. The kingdom is in turmoil, and there are plenty of opportunities to seize your goals.

However, everything has repercussions. I want things to get complex, characters to die, alliances to shift, etc etc.

Freeform, using more or less common sense rules and fun to determine outcomes.

Sure, bishops are magical characters. Well, anyone can be if you wanna play like a half demon or whatever (you tell me!).

Hmm, lets brainstorm. This doesn't have to be a complex game with layers of intricate mastery, just something light and fun to RP with.

Pawns: Can kill someone only if they are with another character. They die if the other character dies. If they kill three people, they may take the position of a piece that died.

Knights: DEFEND: While with a knight, a piece cannot be killed. (This is true for PAWNS, not for other Knights)

Bishop: JUDGEMENT: A bishop kills a piece that kills another piece, once, no matter where they are. He is magic.

Rook: CASTLE: Any character in their castle cannot be killed. The Rook may move to kill one other character, but then it falls.

Queen: The Queen is beef. The first time she is killed, she is not killed. After that, she kills someone when she dies.

So, every once and a while, while we write out the story, I will say TURN! And everyone takes a turn. Your turn may be to move (like your Knight travels to the carnival, where the enemy bishop is). One team goes first, then the next.

In KILL RANGE you may choose to kill. Depending on who else is within KILL RANGE you are vulnerable to their counterattack. You RP out the battle.

The point is to have fun playing your characters, but also to slaughter eachother. A battle may not occur every time the characters are together. Maybe the Knight catches the enemy Bishop sleeping with his Queen, and sentences him formally in court, and he is hanged. Part of the game is the surprise at when you are killed, and in planning your kill so that you can get away, or maybe come back as a new character able to take advantage of the situation to kill more guys!

I'm thinking players go clockwise deciding their actions. They can get into range of another piece, or out of range, or take them if they are in range. You gotta use the pieces powers to work together with your team to take out the other team's pieces, losing the fewest.

You get to decide which order you want to play, meaning what your new piece is for your next character, each team will have a different strategy.

Something like being 'in range' might mean all the characters are at a party, and if someone decides to go for a piece, there will be a battle, resolved by your pieces individual power and placement.

So, characters can last for a while and build relationships and stuff. It'll be that much funner when they die.